


Let Me

by knitekat



Series: Accidents Happen [4]
Category: Primeval
Genre: Angst, Blindness, Breaking Up & Making Up, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2014-07-10
Packaged: 2018-02-08 07:54:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1932861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knitekat/pseuds/knitekat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connor tries to look after James after his lover is injured when meeting with Helen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Me

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks go to Fredbassett for the beta.

_Standing in the humid forest, James really regretted agreeing to go through the anomaly to meet Helen Cutter. She was a slippery bitch, and after her attack on the ARC and the near successful murder of her husband, he trusted her even less than before. But he'd had no choice, he ... they needed the information she had and she would only meet with him. So here he was._

At least he had some soldiers with him, Helen hadn't forbidden that and his superiors had agreed that, considering the last meeting with Helen, they were (probably) required.

Wiping sweat from his brow with his ever-present handkerchief, James glanced around. Where was she, he wanted this over and done with. So he could get back to civilization. Back to his lover.

When it all went to hell, it happened so fast that he barely had time to think. The hiss of some kind of creature sounded and then someone screamed. A high pitched scream that turned James' insides to jelly. It was a scream he had heard before, far too many times. A death scream.

Fighting the instinct to run, James pulled out the gun he had carried ever since Leek had tried to murder him. He saw the creatures - smallish, two-legged, sickle clawed – some type of raptor. James smiled, Connor would be proud to know James had remembered something from his constant prattle about dinosaurs. James fired at the nearest creature, hitting it in the neck and then firing again into its eye to make sure it was dead. Calmly and methodically, he fired and killed several of them. All around him, he heard the screams of man and beast and the sound of gunfire. But the amount of firing slowly diminished and James couldn't help the feeling that they were losing.

He heard a noise behind him, a hiss and spun to fire at the creature. Agony took his breath away. It hurt, it bloody hurt. His face was burning. He couldn't breathe. He stepped back, away from the danger ... he was falling ...

James woke up with a start, his breathing harsh as the nightmare slowly faded. He was in bed and could hear his lover's soft snoring. He smiled slightly as he heard Connor snort in his sleep.

Realising he wouldn't get back to sleep just yet, James carefully clambered out of their bed. Hoping not to wake Connor, he tried to move quietly as he made his way to the kitchen. His hands stretched out in front of him to detect obstacles in his path. It shouldn't be hard, he'd lived in the flat for years, after all. However, he stumbled over something he could not have expected, uttering a curse as he heard the high-pitched squeal of one of the diictodons.

Connor woke up with a start as he heard the racket and switched on the light. Leaping out of the bed he wrapped his arms around James. “What the hell do you think you are doing, James?”

James grounded out, “I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself.”

“James ...” Connor sighed softly. “Let me help. Please.”

James pulled out of Connor's arms. “I'm not helpless.”

“No one said you were, love.” Connor gently caressed James' face.

James leant into the touch, until Connor's fingers touched the dressings. He jerked back and staggered as he knocked into the dresser.

“I'm sorry, James. I didn't mean to ...”

James cut him off. “I know.” His hand reached out to touch the dresser and he used it to guide himself into the kitchen.

“The doctors' said it won't be permanent, James. You just need to give it time.”

Snorting in disgust, James' voice was harsh. “They don't know that, Connor. I could be blind forever.”

“James ...”

“I don't want your pity, Temple. Leave me alone.”

Connor closed his eyes for a moment. It hurt to have James speak to him like that. Even though he knew his lover didn't mean it, a tiny part of Connor still couldn't believe they were together. That one day James would wake up and not want Connor to be a part of his life any more. He had been hurt before by people playing games, Connor couldn't bear it if James was doing the same. Connor took a deep breath, he knew James wasn't ... he knew this was the real thing. That plant Connor had accidentally exposed them both to proved it when it had actually kick-started their relationship.

***

James took a deep breath as he felt around for a glass and then for the tap. He hadn't meant to snap at Connor, it was just this situation. He had never liked to be dependent on others, to need someone to look after him. And now he did. Possibly for the rest of his life. And it scared him, scared the hell out of him. What if Connor didn't want to stay with him? Who would want to stay with an old, blind man?

James remembered how it had all begun. He had known from the start that it was a bad idea. But his superiors hadn't listened and so he had gone through that anomaly. His life had changed forever, and he hated it, as much as he hated owing anything to Helen.

He just wished he knew what her game was. She had tried to kill her husband and destroy the ARC, had told her clones to kill him if he tried to escape... but she had saved his life...

_James woke up slowly, his mind sluggish and his body throbbing with each ragged breath he managed to draw into his lungs. His face was both burning hot and freezing cold. He raised a hand to investigate, but it was grasped in a hard grip._

“Don't touch, James.” He recognised Helen's voice. “You got spat at. I've washed it off but you need to leave it alone. Do you understand me?”

James slowly made sense of the words as he remembered the attack. “Helen?” His voice was raspy and it hurt to talk.

“Drink this. Slowly. It will help.”

James drank, if Helen wanted him dead he would already be dead. So she wanted something else. The liquid soothed his throat and James' sighed.

“Good. Rest.”

“What happened?”

Helen's sigh sounded loudly in his ear. “Do you ever do what you are told? You got a face full of venom from a previously unknown species of venomous raptor. I'm thinking of naming it after you.”

“Should name it after yourself.”

Helen snorted. “Still the arrogant bastard, even when you're blind and at my mercy.”

James swallowed hard at that. “Blind ...”

“I've washed off the spit and treated you as best I can.”

“What do you want?”

“To make a deal with you, James. We will talk later. Now, let's get you home.”

James didn't remember very much of that time, he thought the water was probably drugged. The next clear memory was of waking up in hospital, his eyes bandaged and Connor holding his hand.

He thought he should apologise to his lover, Connor was only trying to help him. It just went against the grain to need help, but he had never been a good patient.

***

Connor waited for James to calm down before slowly following his lover into the kitchen. It was almost painful to see James' ramrod straight back as he got himself a glass of water.

“James?” Connor asked with trepidation. “Please, let me help.” He took the glass from his lover and pulled the man into a hug. “Let's go back to bed, just hold my hand.”

“You don't want to be tied to me, you don't want to have to follow me around, looking after me...”

Connor cut him off with a kiss. “I love you, James. I don't mind looking after you, I like it.”

James felt his temper flare again, he didn't want to need someone looking after him. “I don't!”

“Don't what, James?”

James pulled out of his love's arms, his heart breaking as he forced the hateful words from his mouth, but it was for the best. “I don't love you. You were just an amusing fuck, Temple, that's all.”

He heard Connor's gasp of shock before hearing his running footsteps fade as his lover fled. James collapsed on the floor as his tears soaked into the dressings, but it was for the best. James found he couldn't even convince himself that was true.

***

Connor backed away from James. Tears leaked from his eyes, it was all a horrible joke on him. James had only wanted someone to fuck, and Connor had been available. He ran as tears flowed down his face.

He finally stopped running and bent over as he gasped for breath. How could he have been so stupid as to think that James had loved him? No one did. They just used him.

As his breathing returned to normal, he sank to the ground and re-ran the conversation. “Oh, James,” he whispered as he realised what his lover had done.

He returned to the flat and breathed a sigh of relief that the door was still open. Connor drew in a sharp breath when he saw his lover. James was on the floor, his arms wrapped around his knees as he rocked. Tear tracks clearly visible on his face.

Connor dropped to his knees and pulled James into a hug. “I'm not leaving you and you can't drive me away. We will get through this James. Together.”

James just grabbed Connor's face and kissed him, hard.

***

Several weeks later, Connor held James' hand firmly as the dressings were removed.

James blinked several times in the dimly lit room. He could make out blurs that slowly became clearer.

Connor felt scared but knew they would survive anything. “James? What can you see?”

James slowly smiled as he reached out for Connor. “I see you, love. I see you.”


End file.
